Obituary for June 28, 2019

Goracke

Loren Goracke

Halfway, 1940-2019

Loren Dee Goracke, 78, of Halfway, died on June 20, 2019, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

A celebration of life will take place at a later date.

Loren was born on July 28, 1940, at Chillicothe, Missouri, to Alvin and Dorothy (Bethards) Goracke. He attended Hickman High School at Hickman, Nebraska, and graduated in 1958. After high school, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1963. He then went on to attend Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, graduating in 1973.

On April 20, 1961, Loren married Shirley Jo Houston at Stevenson, Washington. He worked as a fleet manager for the U.S. Forest Service from 1974 until his retirement in 1998. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and vegetable gardening. He was a member of the board of Pine Eagle Medical Clinic for 15 years and at the time of his death he was chairman of the board of directors. His many accomplishments include receiving a Navy Good Conduct Medal, Award of Appreciation from Timber Lake Job Corp, Fire Award from Northeast Oregon wildfires, and numerous certificates of merit from the Department of Agriculture.

Loren is survived by his wife, Shirley Goracke of Halfway; his sons, Dale H. Goracke of Aumsville, Oregon and Charles A. Goracke of Halfway; his sisters, Karen Baade of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Patricia Goracke of Shingle Springs, California. He is also survived by six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alvin and Dorothy Goracke; and his brother, Dennis Goracke.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pine Eagle Medical Clinic through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.

To light a candle in memory of Loren, or to leave a condolence for his family, go to www.grayswestco.com